Shovel



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEQ JOHN JOHNSON, OF MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE.

SHOVEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 327,174, dated September 29, 1885 Application filed August 1, 1885. (No model.)

T0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN JonNsoN, acitizen of the United States, residing at Memphis, in the county of Shelby and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Shovels, of which the following is a specification.

It is well known that the amount of metal on the ordinary shank and handle of a shovel is of great inconvenience to workmen in winter, by reason of the coldness of the metal.

I have devised a shovel the shank and handle of which will expose as little metal as possible to the hand of the workman in winter, while the wooden portions of the handle may be removed and metal inserted in lieu thereof at any time desired. To these ends I form the handle of the shovel with a flat web connect ing the arms, and I provide rounded sections of wood or metal,which may be riveted to this web to form the grasp-bar, ears being formed on the arm at the ends of the grasp-bar for bending down over said sections for retaining them in place.

In order to present but little metallic surface at the lower end of the shank, I form upon the flange attached to the blade of the shovel a tongue lying in a plane at right angles to said blade, and occupying a slit in the lower end of the shank, within which it is fixed by transverse screws or rivets.

In order that the invention may be better understood, I will proceed to describe it with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure I is a front elevation, and Fig. II a vertical sectional view of my improved shovel.

1 may represent the blade; 2, the shank; 3, the handle-socket, and 4 the arms thereof.

5 is a flat web of metal formed or fixed between said arms, at each side of which a rounded section, 6, of wood, or metal, if preferred, is applied by rivets 7. The sections 6 are retained in position by the rivets 7 and by cars 8, which are formed on the arms 4 and turn down over the ends of such sections.

9 is the customary flange riveted or screwed to the blade 1. It is provided with a flat tongue, 10, lying in a plane at right angles to said blade and occupying a slit in the bottom of the wooden shank 2, wherein it is fiXed-by screws or rivets 11.

It will be observed that the grasp'bar and shank in such a construction of handle offer but slight metallic surface to the hand of the workman,while the strength and durability of the shovel are preserved.

Having thus described my invention,the following is what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a shovel, a grasp-bar composed of a metallic web and with wooden sections applied to each side of such web, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the shank 2, socket 3, arms 4,with metallic web 5 connecting said arms, rounded sections 6 on each side of said web, and ears 8, for retaining said sections in position, substantially as described.

- 3. In combination with shank 2, the tongue 10, rigid with the flange and occupying a slit at the lower end of said shank, substantially as described.

JOHN JOHNSON.

lVitnesses:

HUGH FERAN, ROBERT KUMPF. 

